Carol Kirken was enjoying her exotic vacation with family members in Tanzania. Her friends back in Michigan were enjoying the photos Kirken was posting on her Facebook page about the African safari trip.

Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett said the news of Kirken’s death has shook the entire community.

“There are few people in the community that you think of that are absolute treasures and Carol is one of those in our community,” Barnett said.

Kirken was extremely active within her hometown. She was one of the founding members of the Rochester Area Women’s Fund, and also volunteered with the North Oakland YMCA Supporting Military Families.

“Carol was aggressive about the organization and very passionate,” Barnett said. “She called me just a few weeks ago and begged me to come to this meeting because she was excited about the new direction of the YMCA that was very important to her. They went around the table and said what is your interest in being here I said, ‘I am here because Carol asked me to be here.'”

Kirken is survived by her husband Bill, three children and five grandchildren.

“Having past (sic) 75 years old, she was resolutely shooting for 100,” the family wrote in Kirken’s obituary. “She would have surely achieved it if not for this accident.”